My Build Philosophy

The first thing to understand is that building an instrument for someone is not about the guitar – its about the player. So I listen real hard to who they are, to how they play, to the notes they let ring and those they stumble over – then I can get a picture in my head of an instrument that is going to let them express themselves in a new way, maybe in a better way. The guitar itself is going to be a tool in their hands – not a piece of art hanging on a wall.

Being a builder for a long time, you begin to fall in love with wood – and for most of us, for the longest time there was only Mahogany and Rosewood and Spruce and Ebony. That was it, and it was a pretty standard recipe, and usually successful to a degree. Nowadays, the world is your oyster, and the list of available woods, and how they will alter your tone is nearly endless as well. I fell in love with wood again a few years back, and began collecting new species from all over – Malaysia, Indonesia, Mexico and Africa and of course, my own backyard here on the west Coast of Canada. I love to chat with folks about woods and how they affect the finished instrument.

I am pretty old school when it comes to building – I don’t mind using a CNC to do things like inlays and fret slotting on a fingerboard, but I’m likely never going to carve a neck on one. I also like to tap tune my soundboards late at night when its quiet and there are no distractions. A lot of luthiers these days are passionately trying to use science and computers to control the frequencies of the top and back – and I applaud them for the passion they have – but that’s not me – I’m going to let my ears decide what each top is capable of – so my guitars will always sound like my guitars, sweet and articulate, with good volume. They will always be set up to play easily and be comfortable in your hands, and at the end of the day, no one else in the world, will have the exact same guitar as you, no one.

A confession – I build guitars for a really, really selfish reason. When I build, I feel like I connect with God – I feel good when I create, when the design juices are flowing and when the dust is flying. I think this is true for almost everyone – whenever we create something, we are taking part in something sacred – whether its an accountant creating a spreadsheet or Picasso creating art in a way no one ever did before – or a player finding and working out a new melody in a songwriting session.

So lets build something. I’m in if you are.